Why College Failed Me

I was delusional in college. I thought, “When I graduate, I’ll be ready for the real world and set for life.”

The college offered a buffet of courses, and I was able to take any classes I wanted. As an 18-year-old, I took every shortcut I could to get my degree. My courses included California History, Sexual Education, and Theology.

On the last day of college, my family had a big party. My diploma had cost six figures, but it hadn’t gotten me ready for the real world.

Gradually, one thing became clear: the curriculum had not been designed to teach students how to evaluate evidence-reasons to think something is true.

For example, if someone claims that earth is getting warmer, then evidence in favor of that claim would include data that proves that earth is in fact getting warmer.

The Skill: Evaluating Evidence

Evaluating evidence is a skill, just like reading. And arguably, it’s more important: if you don’t know how to evaluate evidence, then you don’t know how to think on your own.

Since I didn’t have the skills to evaluate reasons, I accepted or rejected claims based on the beliefs of my tribe: Liberal-minded, college-educated young men. I outsourced my thinking, and simply repeated talking points from others. When people questioned…